Typewriting machine



June 14, 1932. .J. A. B. SMITH TYPEWRITING MACHINE Filed Feb. 4. 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet R O T N E V N June 14, 1932.

J. B. SMITH TYPEWRITING MACHINE Filed Feb. 4. 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 lNVENTOR 64M Patented June 14, 1932 NET JESSE A. B. SMITH, OF

STAMFORD, CQNNEC'I'ICU'I, ASSIGNOR, TO UNDERW'OUD ELLIOTT FISHER COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE TYPEVVBI'IING MACHINE Application filed February 4, 1927.

This invention relates to a knife for cutting to length typed forms in continuous billing typewriting machines.

The present invention is especially suitable for use in connection with the wellknown Underwood billing machine, in which a web is cut into forms of predetermined lengths after typing.

The usual procedure is to tear the typed forms against a fixed knife having a straight edge, but when a Web has a large number of plies it is sometimes necessary to use very thin paper in order to obtain legible copies.

the fibrous texture of this thin grade of paper, the same cannot be readily torn. By means of this invention, however, the forms are neatly cut with the aid of a floating rotatably-mounted circular shearing knife which co-operates with the cutting edge of a straight shearing knife arranged parallel to the axis of the platen.

The typed forms are led over a paper-table, which carries the straight knife, and, by means of an equalizing clamping device, the forms are gripped against the table at both sides of the circular shearing knife.

The

the web across.

One of the features of this invention relates to means whereby the circular knife may be resiliently held at either end of the platen when not in use, to prevent accidental displacement thereof, due to vibration of the machine. The circular or rotary knife is carried by a housing or knife-holder, which is slidably mounted on a fixed cross-bar so that the housing may be moved laterally along the bar to thereby sever the typed forms. T e equalizin or self-adjusting clamping memher is carried by a pair of end plates pivotally mounted on the same cross-bar and the plates are provided with finger-pieces for moving the equalizing member to either its effective or ineffective position.

The con- Serial No. 165,?97.

nection between the knife housing and the end plates may include a headed stud carried by each plate, which stud engages holes in the sides of the housing in a manner to prevent lateral movement of the housing, unless 55 the housing is purposely disconnected from its holding stud.

Other knives or cutters of this general character, which have been in use heretofore, were constructed so as to obstruct the nor- 50 mal view of the typed forms. According to this invention, the mounting for the knife, and the clamping members are made very thin, and are placed so as to facilitate reading of the typed forms.

Other features and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a perspective view, showing the invention applied to an Underwood con- 70 tinuous billing machine.

Figure 2 is a side view, partly in crosssection, showing the means for gripping the web, the knife being shown in operating initial operative position.

Figure 3 is a similar view, showing the knife in active shearing position.

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view through the center of the machine. This view shows how the clamping device can be elevated to so facilitate insertion of the web around the platen.

Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view, showing the clamping bar in its effective position.

Figure 6 is a conventional view, looking in the direction of the arrows AA in Figure 3. In this view the knife is shown, at the end of its travel, held against lateral movement.

Figure 7 is a perspective view of the cir- 90 cular shearing knife, showing the construction of the spring for holding the knife in its normal position.

Figure 8 is a perspective view, showing the construction of the clamping bar, and other 955 appurtenances of the present invention.

The Underwood machine to which this invention is applied, has a platen 10, which is rotatably mounted on a shaft 11 supported on end plates 12 pivotally mounted on a cross-bar 13 carried by a carriage 1a. The platen is line-spaced by means of a line-space handle 15 borne by the carriage and an operating slide 16, which, by means of a pawl 17, is effective to rotate a ratchet-wheel 18 carried by a shaft 19. Said shaft 19 is provided with a gear 20, which, by means of an intermediate pinion 21, is effective to rotate another gear 22 carried by the platen-shaft 11. After line-spacing the platen, the operating slide 16 is returned to its normal position by means of a spring 23. The end plates 12 are reinforced by cross-bar 2i, whicu fast thereto by means of rivets 25, forming a. rigid frame which may be swung on the cross-bar 13 to elevate the platen to straighten out the web, so that the carbons may be re positioned in the usual manner. The rigid frame is held in its normal position by means of latches, not shown, which co-operate with locating pins 26, supporting the rear end 27 of the plates 12.

The whole cutting device is mounted on a table 28, fast to the cross-bar 24 by means of screws 29. This table is provided with brackets 30 fast thereto by means of rivets 31. Said brackets extend forwardly at 32, and carry a cross shaft or bar 33, the ends of which are fast thereto by means of screws 34. A frame or housing is swingably and slidably mounted on the shaft 33, and constitutes a mount or carrier for a circular knife 36 retatably mounted on a stud 37, as shown in Figures 2 and 3. Said knife is held in ineffective released position, as shown in Figure 2, by means of a spring 38 mounted on the stud 37. The circular shearing knife 36 is provided with a cutting edge 39, which co-operates ith a straight edge 40 of a stationary shearing knife ll mounted on the table 28 by means of a reinforcing back plate l2, the latter being secured to the table with screws 43. The fixed knife 4C1 may be reversed, so that the back thereof, which is provided with another cutting edge at 4A, may be positioned to co-operate with the circular knife. In order to facilitate. this reversal, the knife is provided with a pair of extra holes 4L5, through which fastening screws 46 are screwed to the plate 4:2.

The work-sheet is gripped against the table 28 at both sides of the circular knife along its path of travel, by means of an equalizing or self-adjusting clamping member having a pair of bars 47 and 47 Said equalizing member is pivotally mounted on pins 48, carried by end plates 49 which are in turn mounted on the cross-shaft 33, to be rockable therewith. The plates -l9 are prevented from rotating individually on the shaft 33 by fiattened ends 50 which fit into elongated slots 51 in the plates 49. In this manner the side plates 4:9 are swung together as a unit either to effective clamping or to ineffective released positions, which are respectively shown in 1 Figures 5 and i. The equalizing clamping a unit which may be carried bar is held in either of these two positions by spring-detents 52, pivoted on the bracket 30 by means of studs 53. The detents or pawls are held in engagement with either of two notches 5% and 55 of said plates l9 by means of springs 56, which are wound around studs 57 carried by the brackets 30. These springdetents 52 hold the side plates l9 up at Figure .4, and down at Figures 1, 2, 3, 5.

The bar i7, besides gripping the worksheet against the table, serves also as a means for positively forcing or wedging the circular knife against the straight edge of the fixed knife. To this end, the circular knife is provided with a tapered hub 58, which slides along the upper corner 59 of the bar 47. hen pressure is applied to the housing 35, the tapered hub 58 rides down upon cor ner 59 to a new position and axially shifts and forces the circular knife against the straight knife, as shown in Figure 3. Then after gaging the web to length by means of a paper-gage 60 the circular knife is moved across the table and the typed form is severed or sheared from the continuous web.

The housing 35 for the circular knife is provided with seats or holes 61 at the sides thereof, which holes are designed to receive headed studs or latches 62 riveted or otherwise secured to the plates -19. This arrangement not only prevents accidental displacement of the knife when the same is held in its released ineffective position, as shown in Figure 4. but it also facilitates the operation of the device, since the housing itself may be used as a finger-piece for swinging the equalizing clamp to either its effective or ineffective position. The normal procedure for operation of the device is to first grip the body of the housing with the fingers, then, while the housing is still engaged by one of the studs 62, to swing the equalizing device downwardly to its effective position, thereby gripping the web to be severed, and finally to cross-cut the web by freeing the housing from stud 62' and sliding the same to move the circular knife from one side to the other across the web. The housing will then be automatically engaged, at the other end, by the other stud 62, and by drawing the housing upwardly the equalizing device will be raised by means of stud 62 to its ineffective position and the circular knife will be again held against accidental displacement. In order that the equalizing device may be moved at will to either its effective or ineffective position without handling the circular knife, the plates 49 are provided with fin ger-pieces 63.

The whole severing device is'handled as in stock to be applied to standard billing machines not originally provided with this equipment. The regular paper-table is first removed and the table 28 upon which all the new equip-- inent is mounted is substituted therefor. The forward end of each of the brackets 30 is provided with an open slot as indicated at 64 for straddling the shaft 13 thereby coope ating with the screws 29 to rigidly hold the table 28 in place.

Obviously, the knife-housing may be depressed only part of the distance along its path of travel, if so desired, in order to shear a web partly across. On the other hand, at any point along its path, the housing may be released with the immediate effect of releasing the circular knife, and, in such positions, the housing may be swung independently on bar or rod 33 to allow inspection or replacement of the circular knife.

Variations may be resorted to within the scope of the invention, and portions of the improvements may be used without others.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a continuous billing typewriting machine having a platen, a circular knife hav ing a cutting periphery, a knife having a straight cutting edge parallel to the axis of the platen, an equalizing device for holding a web on both sides of the circular knife, and means for holding the circular knife in its ineffective position at either side of the platen, said means including a housing for the circular knife, the housing having holes therein in the sides thereof for receiving fixed headed studs at either end of the platen.

2. In a severing device for a typewriting machine having a platen, a rotatably-mounted circular knife having a cutting edge, a housing therefor, means for guiding said housing in a path parallel to the aXis of the platen, a knife having a straight shearing edge co-operating with the cutting edge of the circular knife, a table for supporting the straight knife, an equalizing device co-operating with said table for gripping a workweb at both sides of the circular knife, resilient means for normally holding the circular knife away from the straight knife, and means for positively forcing the circular knife into shearing relationship with the straight knife, said last-mentioned means in cluding a tapered hub concentric with the periphery of the circular knife, and a bar forming part of the equalizing device, said bar cooperating with the tapered hub of the circular knife.

3. In a typewriting machine having a webfeeding platen, the combination with a carriage supporting said platen, a bracket at either side of said carriage, a member connecting said brackets, a rotarv shearing knife and carrier for the same mounted to travel on said connecting member, and a stationary knife on said machine to co-operate with said rotary knife to shear the web at will, said rotary knife movable facewise with relation to said carrier, to bring the rotary knife against the stationary knife, of a lateral latch supported by one of said brackets, said carrier movable upwardly to engage said latch to lock the carrier at the end of its travel, means to maintain the carrier in locking engagement with the latch, said carrier being movable downwardly to disengage itself from the lateral latch and permit travel of the carrier and its knife.

4. In a typewriting machine having a webfeeding platen, the combination of a rotary shearing knife, a carrier for said knife, means to guide the carrier along the platen, said carrier and knife mounted for movement towards and away from the platen, a co-operating straight knife associated with said platen, said rotary knife being movable relatively to said carrier for cooperation with said stationary knife, the carrier and rotary knife being movable away from the platen at the end of the latter, and a stationary latch mounted at one end of the platen, said knifecarrier being self-latching upon said latch by the movement of said carrier away from said platen, at the end of the latter, whereby the carrier and knife are locked against accidental traveling, said carrier being releasable from said latch by movement of the carrier towards the platen to bring the rotary knife into co-operation with the stationary knifeblade.

5. In a typewriting machine having a webfeeding platen, the combination of a rotary shearing knife, a carrier for said knife, means to guide the carrier alon the platen, said carrier and knife mounted for movement towards and away from the platen, a co-operating straight knife associated with said platen, said rotary knife being movable rela tively to said carrier for co-operation with said stationary knife, a stationary latch mounted at one end of the platen, said knifecarrier being self-latching upon said latch by the movement of said carrier away from said platen, wherebv the carrier and knife are locked against accidental traveling, said carrier being releasable from said latch by movement of the carrier towards the platen to bring the rotary knife into co-operation with the stationary knife-blade, said stationary knife mounted upon the framework, and said rotary knife-carrier having an opening to pass over said latch, and a spring to lift the rotary knife-carrier into locking engagement with said latch.

6. In a typewriting machine having a platen around which may be fed a web, the combination of a clamping frame extending along the platen for clamping the web preparatory to severing the same transversely, a rotary knife pivoted in a carrier-mount to move along said frame, said knife-carrier being depressible into cutting position independently of said clamping frame, a latch upon said clamping frame being automatical- 1y engageable by said knife-carrier at the completion of its travel along the platen and yieldable means holding said web-clamping frame together with said knife-carrier in either of two positions, in the first of which positions the knife and clamp stand away from the platen to give clearance for the work, and in the second of which positions the clamp is effective, said clamping frame being movable by downward pressure and the knife-carrier being releasable from its latch by the same pressure, said holding. means being effective in the second position to maintain the clamp closed, whereby a single downward pressure upon said knife-carrier overcomes said yieldable holding means and brings the clamp to effective position and further depresses the knife to cutting position.

7. A paper-shearing attachment for typewriting machines including a.table to support a web of paper, a stationary knife-blade, a movable frame having sides mounted at the ends of said table a pressure-bar swiveled by its ends in said sides the swivel being between the front and rear edges of the bar, to make the bar self-adjusting, said bar having a longitudinal slot substantially throughout its length, and a rotary conical cutter mounted on said frame to operate within said slot, the conical surface of said cutter effective to bear against the edge of the slot to move the swiveled bar against the paper and then shift the cutter longitudinally on its axis into shearing position with reference to said stationary knife. JDS E A S i S .B. MITH. 

